Sure of the Scriptures

We are people who are called to follow Christ, to be His disciples, and, I believe, to hold to a high view of His Word, which Hebrews 4 tells us is living and active - words that are inspired by God.  2nd Timothy 3 says:
16All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,17that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

If we believe that God's Word is inspired, we can also admit that it carries with it great power.  And, in a world that is steeped in moral relativism, we can submit our lives to the authority of the Word of God and be prepared to defend it.   We have to be careful that we do not interject personal opinion or interpretation to the infallible truths of Scripture, selecting what to believe or obey - in doing so, then we undermine the authenticity of the book.   As we become more rooted and grounded in the principles of Scripture, we become a testimony to the authority of Almighty God and display His presence through our lives to a world that needs to see truth lived out.

Peter, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, heard a voice from heaven confirming that Jesus was the Son of God.  In his second book, he wrote this:
19And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;20knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,21for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
This tells us that Peter believed in the authority of the Scriptures, given to men by Almighty God.  

A new Gallup poll has been released about the authority of Scripture.   Its annual Values and Beliefs poll shows that 28% of Americans believe the Bible is the actual word of God and that it should be taken literally. This is somewhat below the 38% to 40% seen in the late 1970s, and near the all-time low of 27% reached in 2001 and 2009.

But about half of Americans - 47% - continue to say the Bible is the inspired word of God, not to be taken literally -- meaning a combined 75% believe the Bible is in some way connected to God. About one in five Americans view the Bible in purely secular terms -- as ancient fables, legends, history, and precepts written by man -- which is up from 13% in 1976.

Now, with the intent of clarifying where the non-literal believers stand on God's role in the Bible, Gallup asked half of respondents in the new poll a different question that offered a fourth choice: saying the Bible is the actual word of God, but with multiple interpretations possible.

As the Gallup website points out, in response to this four-part question, 22% of Americans say the Bible is the actual word of God, to be taken literally -- a bit lower than when using the three-part question. Twenty-eight percent believe it is the actual word of God, but with multiple interpretations possible.   So, 50% basically say that the Bible is the actual word of God.

Another 28% say the Bible is the inspired word of God but should not be taken literally. Eighteen percent say it is an ancient book of fables, legends, history, and moral precepts written by man.

It is important to note that at least nine in 10 Christians believe the Bible is connected in some way to God, regardless of the response options.

Also, by 58% to 34%, Christians are significantly more likely to indicate they believe the Bible is the actual word of God when given the additional option of saying "the Bible is the actual word of God, but multiple interpretations are possible" than when only having the option of saying "the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word." This could be an important indicator of the depth of U.S. Christians' devotion to the Bible.

Dr. Richard Land, President of Southern Evangelical Seminary, says that, “The good news is that despite the ambiguity of the questions, it appears that approximately three out of four Americans are comfortable with the Bible being the Word of God, to be taken seriously as divine communication to man...The disturbing news is that the percentage of Americans who believe the Bible is an ancient book of fables, legends, history, and moral precepts recorded by man has jumped in two years from 17 percent to 21 percent, which is as high as it has been in the Gallup poll’s history.”

He goes on to highlight the importance of Christians learning more about the authority of Scripture: “Clearly, Christians have their work cut out for them in convincing more of their fellow Americans to take the Bible seriously as God’s Holy Word...That’s what apologetics is all about—giving people real and compelling answers to their honest questions about the authority and veracity of Scripture and all that Scripture teaches.” 

John MacArthur, heard on "Grace to You" weekdays at 1:30pm on Faith Radio, wrote for The Christian Post website that, "The findings reveal the utter chaos in our culture regarding the nature and authority of Scripture."

He goes on to say that:

Clearly, the prevailing belief in our culture is that while the Bible may be the inspired Word of God, it doesn't mean what it says. It's only authoritative as long as the reader is the final arbiter of what it actually means. Debates on Scripture ultimately all come back to the issue of authority, and the majority of professing Christians in America have rejected the objective authority of the inerrant Word of God and have replaced it with the authority of self.

A discussion of this survey can help us to evaluate where we stand on the authority of Scripture. It's important that we are convinced of the truth of God's Word and that we are prepared to defend it in the cultural marketplace of ideas.  As Christians who are committed to the truth, we must see God's Word as more than a set of guidelines or even nice, moral platitudes or suggestions for a successful life, subject to our own interpretation.

We recognize that in culture today, there are those who give lipservice to the Bible, but do not believe in its authority and in fact undermine it by not doing what it says.  In the Gallup poll, about 3-out-of-4 respondents put God in the equation, but only between 20 and 30 percent actually take His Word literally.   We must move beyond merely picking and choosing which passages of Scripture to believe or trying to conform the Scriptures to our own interpretations or opinions.   It's important that we study the Word, allow the Spirit to teach us God's truth, and acknowledge its authority over our lives.